Big Lead Sports Bar

4/02/2008

The Bullpen...May Be a Problem

BRAVES (1-2) 10

PIRATES (1-1) 2

Tom Gorzelanny pitched six innings, yielding six hits, three walks, and three earned runs. Not the greatest performance ever, not the worst performance ever, but he turned the game over to the bullpen with a 3-2 deficit. Big mistake.

In two innings, the Bucco bullpen surrendered seven hits, seven earned runs, and two home runs, as 3-2 became 10-2 in short order. Yikes and gadzooks.

After Monday's opener, in which the bullpen blew the game once (9th inning, five runs) and almost twice (12th inning, two runs), I'm starting to think this may be a big problem.

Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn't muster much against pitcher Jair Jurrjens, who was making his eighth career start and first for Atlanta. Imagine that: the Pirates struggling against an unproven starter. We've never heard that before.

Jurrjens is better known is these parts as the Detroit Tiger prospect who was almost traded for Jack Wilson last year. So he could very easily have been a Pirate. But the Bucs and Tigers failed to make a deal, and Jurrjens eventually got dealt to the Braves as part of the Edgar Renteria deal.

The Pirates' offensive ineptitude was led by...drum roll...Adam LaRoche, who was 0-4 with three LaWhiffs and five runners left on base. He was closely followed by Jose Bautista's 0-4/4 LOB game and Jack Wilson's 0-4 performance.